What's Making Me Happy Today: Dimension 20 City Council of Darkness
Apr. 11th, 2026 09:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
delphiCity Council of Darkness is in the world of Vampire: The Masquerade, the tabletop roleplaying game most commonly set in the modern day, where vampires belonging to various clans and bloodlines engage politically in their home cities while trying to manage their own bestial urges, avoid the vampire hunters of the Second Inquisition, and above all keep the existence of vampires secret from humanity at large. City Council of Darkness is about what happens when a group of ambitious San Francisco vampires' bid for attention from the vampiric elite goes comically wrong, resulting in them being banished to the town of Purpee, Oregon, and forbidden to leave until they establish vampiric dominion there.
So far, it's been supremely silly in the best of ways, well-paced and plotted, full of mayhem, with characters and relationships that I'm looking forward to learning more about and an important reminder that the real monsters of San Francisco are Silicon Valley billionaires. I especially can't wait to see more of the friendship between Ventrue finance hustlers LaVonte Worthy and H.J. Wingstreet (joining Kingston Brown & Pete Conlan and Montgomery LaMontgommery & Olethra MacLeod as characters played by Lou Wilson and Ally Beardsley whose dynamic immediately grabbed me) and whatever the deal is between chaotic '80s(?) Brujah childe Zaeth Bondana and his respectable sire Koschei Severov.
The series as a whole is exclusive to Dropout.tv or through Youtube membership, but I'm pretty sure that in the tradition of Dimension 20, the first episode of the campaign will go up for free on the Youtube channel's Season Premieres playlist.
Graveyard Guardians
Apr. 8th, 2026 11:34 amdannye_chaseToday: Graveyard Guardians
Welcome to Weird Wednesday! Today we’re strolling through a graveyard looking for guardians made of stone.
From angels to crosses to lambs, grief and art combine in fascinating ways in cemeteries. Today we’re going to talk about a subset of memorial statues that are said to represent guardians of the deceased (though interpretations of course vary).
Lions
Whether the type you’d see in a zoo, or Chinese lion/dog hybrids, lion statues are often used as greeters and guardians, tasked with protecting both the living and the dead. The Chinese lions are often a male and female pair.
Angels
Angels are ubiquitous in cemeteries. When we’re talking about guardian angels specifically, we mean those holding a sword and/or pointing up. The sword gives quite a clear message, while an angel pointing up indicates they’re the guard of a soul on the way to heaven. The gaze of guardian angels may also point up to their destination, or down at the grave.
Read the rest of this post on my blog and get writing prompts, such as:
Watch our sleeping, guard our waking. Having a guardian in a graveyard begs the question: who or what are they guarding against? What enemy does the soldier or angel face? As a speculative writer, the question is wide open to anything that might creep into a graveyard: monsters, vampires, zombies, the devil, ghosts of the other deceased. But just what could those creatures do to a soul that’s already passed on, or the body they left behind? Obviously, there are various types of monsters made of reanimated bodies. Could a graveyard statue somehow protect against a zombie plague?
DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers
current fandom events
Apr. 7th, 2026 12:39 pmsvgurl![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
artistalley is a community for convention artists to share event news, ideas, feedback & critiques, manufacturers, etc allbingo will be running a Flower Fest Bingo throughout the month of April. There are more pre-made cards or you can create your own based on the available prompts. vforvictoryexchange, a multi-fandom exchange about V-shaped polyamory, is open for sign-ups until April 10th, 10PM EDT.fandom5k, a multi-fandom gift exchange for fic with a 5,000-word minimum and comics with a 5-page minimum, has opened sign-ups until April 11th, 10:59PM EDT.bitesizedfandomsex, a multifandom exchange for fandoms you can pick up in eight hours or less, has opened sign-ups until April 11th, 11:59PM EDT.everythingisfemslashex, a femslash exchange (genderbent characters/ships - both cis and transgender - are welcome too), is accepting nominations until April 12th, 8PM GMT+1 (link will go to the schedule/rules post and has tagset page as well).seasonsofdrabbles is open for sign-ups until April 12th, 11:59PM EDT. Nominations are still open and will be until sign-ups close as well. holmestice, a Sherlock Holmes fandom(s) fanworks exchange that runs twice a year, has opened sign-ups for the Summer 2026 round until April 13th. allbutromance, a multifandom gift exchange focused on all kinds of platonic relationships, is accepting nominations until April 16th, 8PM CEST/UTC+1.likealighthouse is running april iconathon—an icon prompt fest, where people can leave prompts and others can fill them with icons. The event will run until May 6th.fancake's theme of the month is: arranged marriage. Click on the banner below to learn more! :)
Not sketchy just pervy.
Apr. 7th, 2026 01:23 pmcleansheetsao3Ye olde AO3
Writing software/word processors
Apr. 7th, 2026 02:46 pmadoreI was watching AuthorTube and recently came to know of Skrib. It seems like a browser-based Scrivener, with the ability to split your screen to look at your notes and organise things. I like that it's staunchly against generative AI. It's stated on the website that they'll never use your writing to train AI. And that they'll never have tools that generate writing or write for you.
They have what they call an assistive AI that helps you refer to your own work. It can search through your research, notes or previous writing and pull up something for you if you need to find something real quick. I have writing friends on here who write long series with sustained worldbuilding, including one friend who writes historical fiction and tracks timelines and research. I thought y'all might be interested. Skrib's in closed beta and I'm on the waiting list, but I have an invite link: https://skrib.spot/599079c9
I'm waiting to try it. In the meantime I'm happy with Ellipsus, which is also against generative AI and which has a very soothing dark mode. I wish the interface was slightly different though: I like being able to have my chapters lined up on the sidebar so I can move between them quickly and easily within a project, like the interface of 4thewords.
I don't think anyone in this cosy corner of the internet would argue with me about generative AI but just in case anyone's wondering:
If I wanted to publish something I didn't write myself, I'd become a publisher who publishes other people's writing.
As it is, I want to write my stories myself and publish them myself, too. That's what being an indie author is all about!
What are your recommendations for writing software/word processors?
Post and Jam: Let It Go by Luba [1984]
Apr. 6th, 2026 11:55 am'Sup
Apr. 6th, 2026 10:23 amladyjaxWent out for a walk this morning without my walking poles for the first time and things are feeling a lot better. Only did an easy 30 minutes so as not to aggravate anything but overall, it felt good. I know the surrounding neighborhoods pretty well so I can easily eke out a route that doesn't have a lot of people around while I am having big feelings about my body.
Saturdays I am part of a group working through "The Artist's Way." Participants have ebbed and flowed through according to our various schedules but the time working on it has been valuable. There's definitely some class issues embedded in it which are much more evident to me now as opposed to when the book came out in the 90s, especially when we're talking about time, being able to make space within your current situation. However, it's been useful to do this and meeting new folks is always fun.
Have a quilt or two I want to start. Mostly just have to cut things and prep and get on it. Also have to start a wedding quilt for the godson. After I do one the first one that's scratching my brain, I'll start on the one for the wedding. The wedding is in October but I know me and how I work/not work with time. I already have the fabric so it's just a matter of getting started.
Our sportsgay transformation continues. Baseball is incoming. We went to the second exhibition game between the Oakland Ballers and the San Jose Giants in San Jose. Got to see our baseball friends and enjoy a mostly dry game. Shirley and I came prepared for rain and there was a bit of a drizzle but nothing too bad. Our team got waxed but we all still had a good time anyway. The Ballers were able to get the original Battle of the Bay trophy from NBC Sports and the original artist refashioned it to reflect that it is now the San Jose Giants vs. the Ballers instead of the SF Giants and the (formerly) Oakland As. The Ballers' season opener is May 19 so not too long now.
Three Ways to Write Enemies to Lovers
Apr. 6th, 2026 02:18 pmdannye_chaseOpposite sides
Sometimes characters are enemies by circumstance, cast by fate onto opposing sides of a war or political situation. But when they meet, they find they have a lot in common and start to feel friendly toward each other. There are a few ways to go here. Your characters could already think the war is stupid and distrust their own side, happily forsaking it for each other. Or they could harbor intense hatred for anyone on the other side because they’ve been raised that way, only to find their assumptions were wrong and end up in a crisis of faith. Or the characters could be in an epic, forbidden romance: something that would doom themselves and their families if it was ever discovered.
It’s personal
Sometimes characters just don’t like each other. Maybe they’re rivals at work or in sports. Maybe they have a meet-ugly fender bender or photo bomb. Whatever the case, these two seriously can’t stand each other…until they can. The change might come about because one unexpectedly helps the other, who then realizes their enemy is actually a nice person. Or maybe there are explanations and apologies for a misunderstanding. Perhaps they just get snowed into a hotel room with only one bed. However it happens, their intense relationship then ignites in the other direction.
Enemies with benefits
Okay, so these characters are clearly not right for each other. They can’t stand each other, and even if they could, the narrative dooms them to be enemies. But they’re definitely hooking up. Maybe they find each other attractive and agree to seek some mutual release from stress. Or maybe it happens unexpectedly in a moment of passion. Either way, the physical closeness and trust they find in bed are at odds with their outward relationship. And something’s gotta give.
Enemies to lovers often draws in other tropes like single or mutual pining, slow burn, and forced proximity. However you write it, readers love when characters get dragged kicking and screaming into their Happily Ever After.
This article was first published on my writing blog
DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers
Signal Boost
Apr. 5th, 2026 07:24 pmmkrobinsonspring_renewal is open for prompting from now until April 10th. The prompting post can be found here. Join me!What I'm Watching: Good (2022) and The Estate (2025)
Apr. 4th, 2026 08:23 pmdelphiGood (directed by Dominic Cooke) is a 2022 production of the 1981 play by Cecil Philip Taylor, about a professor in pre-war Germany whose decisions take him from a life as a progressive academic and family man whose closest friend is Jewish to an active contributor to the Final Solution.
The production stars David Tennant as protagonist John Halder, with Sharon Small and Elliot Levey playing virtually all other characters. I don't know if that's the norm for this play, but having the people around Halder share faces was extremely effective in bringing home the self-centeredness that guides his actions and the way he conceives of people in his life by the role they play in his conception of himself. Tennant, Small, and Levey all turn in fantastic performances, but Levey in particular just knocked it out of the park, especially in a scene near the end that differs slightly from the original play in a way that hit even harder for me. This was really something special.
The Estate (directed by Daniel Raggett) is the debut play from Shaan Sahota, starring Adeel Akhtar as MP Angad Singh—the unexpected frontrunner for party leadership on a platform of change—whose image of himself as the underdog progressive son of a working class father is put to the test when his father dies, leaving a significant estate to him with nothing going to his older sisters on the basis of sex.
There was some unevenness across the performances, a key moment at the climax kind of wobbled for me, and I personally think the political elements would have worked a lot better if this had maybe been set in the 2010s (because specifically name-checking it as 2025 just drove home the ways it doesn't resemble the political climate of the moment), but it was firing on all cylinders when it came to the family drama, the poison of unexamined privilege and unspoken trauma, and the pressure to keep conflicts in marginalized communities out of the public eye even if it means demanding more sacrifices from the more vulnerable members of that community. Adeel Akhtar's performance was incredibly impressive given all of the ugly and painful things that come out of Angad over the course of the play, and Thusitha Jayasundera (playing Angad's eldest sister, Gyan) was an immediate "Oh, I need to see more of what she's been in." Also, the staging and music were great and made me really wish I'd been able to see this one in person.
March 2026 Reading Wrap-Up
Apr. 4th, 2026 01:48 pmbadfalconNo TBR. No structure. No 'I will read X books this month.' Just vibes, mood shifts, and whatever my brain decided it could focus on that day.
And somehow... I finished five books.
🌱 March Intentions
📖 Read gently
🎨 Create something small
🧡 Protect my energy
😴 Rest often
📝 Simplify tasks
Looking back, March really did lean into these. The reading wasn't forced, creativity stayed small and manageable, and I gave myself permission to rest without turning it into a failure.
📊 By the Numbers
Books read: 5
Average rating:3.9 ⭐
A very solid, quietly successful month - especially coming out of February's one-book energy.
⭐ Standout Vibes
Not a single overwhelming five-star this month, but a strong run of *consistently good* reads - the kind that keep you engaged without wrecking you emotionally (which, honestly, was exactly the energy I needed).
📚 Everything I Read
Ali Hazelwood - Loathe to Love You ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to Happiness ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Alison Maloney - Life Below Stairs ⭐⭐⭐½
Seanan McGuire - Beneath the Sugar Sky ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Nancy Warren - Mosaics and Magic ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A genuinely chaotic mix of romance, nonfiction, cosy mystery, and portal fantasy - which feels very on-brand for an unplanned reading month.
🧭 Reading Mood
March felt like a recovery month
After February's lack of focus, I found myself:
Picking up whatever held my attention fastest
Letting go of books without guilt
Leaning into comfort, familiarity, and lower-pressure reads
No overthinking. No forcing it. Just following the thread of 'does this work for me right now?'
And it worked.
💬 Mini Thoughts
Ali Hazelwood continues to be ridiculously readable - perfect for getting out of a slump
Beneath the Sugar Sky scratched that slightly surreal, emotional fantasy itch
Mosaics and Magic delivered peak cosy mystery vibes
Life Below Stairs was interesting, but didn't quite grip me the same way
Bill Bailey was exactly the kind of gentle, thoughtful nonfiction I needed this month
🌱 Final Thoughts
March didn't need structure to be successful.
It just needed permission.
Permission to read inconsistently. To follow moods. To enjoy books without turning them into a checklist.
And somehow, that led to one of the most balanced reading months I've had in a while.
If February was about softness, March was about trust.
Let's see what April brings.
Post and Jam: I'll Find Another (Who Can Do it Right) by The Payola$ [1983]
Apr. 2nd, 2026 04:26 pmdelphiThis pick from 1983 isn't necessarily the most representative of the sound the Payola$ are known for, but it's a certified bop with a hook that still gets stuck in my head on a regular basis.
I'll Find Another (Who Can Do It Right) by The Payola$
What's Making Me Happy Today: Dimension 20 on a Bus
Apr. 1st, 2026 08:45 pmdelphiIt was a funny bit, but I don't think anyone expected the calls for more to actually result in anything. Until now, when for April Fool's Day, Dropout released a full one-hour episode of it. It's only up on their streaming service, but here's the teaser trailer that dropped without warning:
And man, the actual episode did not disappoint. It was a hilarious mess that hit just the right balance of winding up a bunch of professional storytellers, but also letting them do what they best as they tried to salvage things. I laughed to the point of tears, but I also legitimately picked up pointers about character-building and how to move a plot along (to get to LAX to fly out to an M&M wedding in Lisbon when everything keeps blowing up).
two memes!
Apr. 1st, 2026 04:07 pmsvgurlsenmut. :)50 This or Thats
1. Bagels or donuts? Bagels though I love donuts too
2. Bar soap or body wash? Body wash
3. Being afraid or being embarrassed? Neither? I guess embarrassed though I do get second hand embarrassment easily and I hate it
4. Big bash or intimate gathering? Intimate gathering
5. Board games or video games? Board games
( #6-50 )
Blank version if you want to do it too!
I snagged this one from
queenslayerbee: GIVE A CHARACTER
and I’ll break their ass down:
How I feel about this character
All the people I ship romantically with this character
My non-romantic OTP for this character
My unpopular opinion about this character
One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.